Material Group Mismatch on a Revalidation Request
A welder holds a valid EN ISO 9606-1 qualification obtained on a 12 mm plate in material group 8 (stainless steel), process 141 (TIG), welded from both sides, tested by bend and radiography. The certificate is approaching the end of its period of validity. The employer's welding coordinator proposes a revalidation by confirmation - a review of the welder's production records over the last six months - rather than a new test. The production records show the welder has been working continuously, but exclusively on carbon steel (group 1) fillet welds, 5–8 mm leg length, process 135 (MAG), with no stainless steel work at all in that period. The QA engineer asks whether confirmation is permissible and what the certificate should say.
1. Can the welder's group 8 TIG butt qualification be revalidated by confirmation on the basis of the production records described?
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No. Revalidation by confirmation requires evidence that the welder has been working within the scope of the qualification being revalidated - same process, same material group, same welding conditions. The records show only process 135 on group 1 fillet welds. That is a different process and a different material group, so it provides no evidence of continued competence for the group 8 TIG butt qualification. Confirmation is not available; the qualification must be revalidated by a new test (or allowed to lapse).
The common error is to treat any continuous welding employment as sufficient. The records must match the qualification scope, not merely exist.
2. What is the maximum period of validity of the original qualification, and how is it maintained?
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Under EN ISO 9606-1 the initial period of validity is two years, provided the employer confirms at intervals (typically every six months) that the welder's work remains within the qualification scope and that the qualification is endorsed. At the end of the two years the qualification may be revalidated by confirmation for a further two years, subject to the same evidence requirement, or by a new test. Revalidation by confirmation is therefore not unlimited in practice - it depends on continuous, matching production evidence.
If the six-monthly confirmations have not been recorded, the qualification is not properly maintained and the period of validity cannot simply be extended.
3. If a new test is required, what would you specify so that the new certificate covers both the existing stainless work and the carbon steel fillet work?
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Specify a test assembly that covers the broader scope in one qualification, for example a group 8 butt test piece (process 141, both sides, thickness chosen to bracket the production range) plus a fillet test piece in the same or a covering material group, welded with the processes actually used. Note that material groups are not freely interchangeable: a qualification in one group does not cover another unless the standard's grouping rules expressly allow it. The certificate must list each process, material group, joint type and thickness range separately, and the six-monthly confirmation regime must be re-established from the date of the new test.